Select Page

DIY_BOOK_COVER

There was nothing more exciting than a new book cover at the start of the school term!

My favourite part of every school semester was creating a new book cover for my school books. Back in those days I would spend hours collaging all my favourite band images and feminist quotes (yes… I was a raging feminist and punk music fan with a passion for human rights…not too much has changed) onto the front of my new notebooks before covering them with a nice sturdy layer of plastic adhesive film. In the years since I have put away my tartan skirts and developed my waste awareness knowledge and nowadays my books are covered in reusable fabric covers made from up-cycled thrifted finds and offcuts of altered clothing.

Today’s DIY shows you the basic recipe for making your own book cover. It’s a really simple sewing project and would definitely be one that older kids could get involved in with adult assistance. I have used some 30-cent-bargain placemats for my DIY cover today but you can use any old fabric or offcuts you have lying around.

 

DIY_BOOK_COVER_1

 

You will need:

  • A notebook: Try to use a basic one in a regular sizing (mine is A5) so that you know you will be able to get a replacement when you fill yours up.
  • Scissors
  • A sewing machine with thread
  • Pins
  • Fabric: Make sure this is large enough by lying your notebook in the middle of it. There should be around 9-10cm of fabric either side of the vertical length of your book and around 2cm on the horizontal.
  • An iron and ironing board

DIY_BOOK_COVER_2

How to Make it: 

My first step was sewing my two placements together. This won’t be a required step if your fabric is already large enough. I sewed these neat little seams together (the placemats are already hemmed: BONUS) as close as possible to avoid any bulk on the spine of my notebook.

 

DIY_BOOK_COVER_3

 

Next, or first if you are using a large enough piece of fabric to skip the first step, lay your book in the centre of the fabric around 2cm away from the bottom edge. You will need to leave the following seam allowance for an A5 book cover: 2cm on the bottom and top sides (horizontal) and around 10 on the left and right sides (vertical). Please keep in mind that this should be altered to suit the size of the book you are using and your personal preferences about how you would like the book cover to fit. If you want less fabric overhang on the inside you can have less seam allowance on the vertical, also, if you are using a denim and want raw seams on the horizontal you wont need quite so much seam allowance. I have made many denim covers as gifts as they are easy to ‘whip-up’ in a hurry with no need for neat seams on the vertical. With all this in mind and a confidence that you have the right size for your book, cut your fabric to suit.

DIY_BOOK_COVER_4

 

The next step is to sew your bottom and top seams neatly. As you may be aware, I am a little lazy. So I just ironed my seams in and sewed them 0.5 cm from the edge. One of my edges was already hemmed thanks to the person who made the placemat, one edge I was require to hem then sew 0.5 cm from the edge. This 0.5cm will be a visible bit of fabric overhang in the end result so try your hardest to make it look nice and neat (you should be able to see it in the pic above if you look close enough: sorry 6am sewing makes for some dodgy pictures)! If you are using denim you can get away with a raw edge on the top and bottom if you like that look.

DIY_BOOK_COVER_5

DIY_BOOK_COVER_7

 

DIY_BOOK_COVER_8

 

 

 

Laying your notebook flat in the middle of your cover line start to fold in the sides creating a pocket for your book to sit securely. You will want to hem these vertical edges if you have cut raw edges. I didn’t have to do this because my placemat was already hemmed. Make your hem around 0.5 to 1.0 cm. It’s really up to you what you want to do. It will be folded inside the cover and won’t be visible but pulling the note book in and out of the cover will eventually fray the fabric if you don’t hem it. Again, if you are using denim and like the frayed effect this hemming might not be desired. A tip here is to just work on one side at a time rather than sewing both down at once. This give you some ‘wiggle room’ to ensure that your cover fits just right. Picture number three should give you an idea of what I mean by ‘wiggle room’. Try to line these pocket folds up so the are similar on both sides. You will notice I have close to double the recommended seam allowance on the vertical sides. This is because I didn’t want to have to cut off much of the fabric and having double thickness helps with the rigidity of the cover with this thin cotton fabric. Once you have one side how you like it and feel confident you can sew it along the horizontal hem. You will only have to sew the length of the folded pocket section along the horizontal seam you sewed earlier. If you sew on top of that 0.5 seam then your second line of stitching should blend into the first and not be noticeable.

DIY_BOOK_COVER_9

 

Sew down the section picture above on the top and bottom of one side. Then, after a bit of a wiggle around and a test run open-and close of your note book. Do the same with the other side. Then you should end up with a notebook cover like the image below.

DIY_NOTEBOOK_COVER_1

 

 

Then all you have to do is slip your notebook in place and get writing! I have also included a pic of the denim version I made a few years back. I think my mum is still carrying around her notebook that I made her to this day! Not bad milage out of an upcycled gift idea.  You will notice the one below I have added the button strap. This is a great idea if you want to carry your notebook around in your handbag and not have to worry about the pages getting damaged.

DIY_NOTEBOOK_DENIM

 

Let me know if you attempt this project.

Would love to see the results

xx